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APEX AND TRIPIT PARTNER TO PROVIDE AIRLINES AND TRAVELERS WITH NEW AIRLINE RATINGS PROGRAM

Monday, October 24, 2016

New Industry Ratings System Will Provide Valuable Passenger Insights to Airlines

NEW YORK (24 October, 2016) – The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) today announced a partnership with TripIt® from Concur® that will help APEX launch its Official Airline Ratings™ program. This innovative industry program will gather passenger feedback based on travel itineraries and will provide an audited third-party analysis of the insights gathered. APEX will then share the feedback with its member airlines and honor the highest-rated airlines each year.

Serving nearly every major airline as the only non-profit membership trade association dedicated to improving passenger experience, APEX designed this program to provide the airline industry with a new way to measure the quality of a passenger’s experience. By partnering with TripIt, it also gives travelers an opportunity to provide feedback that will help shape future in-flight experiences.

“Mobile apps serve as the number one source of engagement during travel and after a flight. With a strong base of more than 13 million travelers worldwide, TripIt is a service that helps passengers keep their travel plans organized regardless of the airline they fly, making it the perfect partner to help us launch the Official Airline Ratings program,” said APEX CEO, Joe Leader. “APEX member airlines will be able to use the targeted, objective, and anonymous insights provided by the Official Airline Ratings to create an elevated personalized passenger experience.”

Through this partnership, travelers who use the TripIt mobile app will have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on their flight. Using a five-star scale, passengers will be able to rate their overall flight experience, along with five subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. This feedback will then be analyzed by a third-party auditing service and used as the basis for the airline’s Official Airline Ratings. In addition, APEX airline members will receive exclusive access to the anonymous feedback provided by the airline’s passengers, which can be used to curate best practices and improve in-flight experiences for travelers.

“By partnering with APEX to provide the airline industry with the information it needs to make meaningful decisions about the passenger experience, we’re also giving travelers a bigger say in those decisions,” said Jugdeep Bal, Concur’s senior director of business development for TripIt.

The initial ratings period for the Official Airline Ratings will open in the coming weeks and will continue through July 2017. The airlines awarded four and five stars will be announced in September 2017 at APEX EXPO in Long Beach, California.

Additionally, APEX will be elevating the highly anticipated Passenger Choice Awards by using insights derived from the passengers’ ratings of their in-flight features to help determine the 2017 award winners. Airlines will be honored for outstanding performance in five categories: cabin service, seat comfort, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. Awards will also be presented to the best in region and the top airline in the world will be given the top award: Best in Passenger Experience.

For more information on APEX or the Official Airline Ratings™ program, visit apex.aero or contact info@apex.aero. For more information on how TripIt delights more than 13 million travelers worldwide, visit www.tripit.com.

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About The Airline Passenger Experience (APEX)
APEX encompasses a network of businesses and professionals that are committed to providing a world class airline experience for passengers around the globe. As a non-profit, APEX reinvests all of its resources to better serve its members. Every day, APEX members evaluate the passenger experience through an influential community and are improving every aspect of the airline experience: from designing, building and installing seating, entertainment and communications systems on commercial aircraft, to airport lounges and inflight dining. For more than four decades, APEX has worked to strengthen the industry and enable business opportunities through education, innovation, networking and recognition. For more information, please visit apex.aero, sign up for the APEX Daily Experience e-newsletter, or follow APEX on Twitter and Facebook.

About TripIt
TripIt from Concur, the world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app, instantly organizes all travel plans in one place. Simply forward confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and TripIt will create a master itinerary for each trip with all travel details in once place—for free. The premium service, TripIt Pro ($49/year) has all the organizing power of TripIt plus additional features that help members stay one step ahead while traveling. Real-time flight alerts, refund notifications, and the ability to track reward points and miles are just a few of the additional benefits TripIt Pro members receive. Companies can extend TripIt Pro to their employees, while managing travel plans from every booking channel, with Concur TripLink; and provide their travelers with an easy way to reach their TMC if they need assistance during their trip with the TripIt for TMCs program. To learn more about how TripIt delights more than 13 million travelers worldwide, please visit us at www.tripit.com, follow us @TripIt on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and watch us on YouTube.